Merchandise assembly and storage is a significant aspect of wholesale and retail sales. Any particular product item is, typically, packaged with a defined number of units in a relatively small carton. A number of cartons are, thereafter, assembled and stacked for shipment in commerce.
Because of the typical volume of space occupied by assembled and stacked cartons, pallets are employed to underlie a number of cartons so that movement of large quantities of items can be effected simply. Such pallets must be economical in construction, yet durable and versatile in their functioning.
Pallets employed for a purpose as previously described, typically, employ a standard construction. That construction utilizes a few stringer boards which are spaced from one another and made to extend generally parallel to one another. The stringer boards are oriented with faces thereof in opposed relationships so that their edges define a pair of parallel planes.
With the stringer boards so disposed, a plurality of deck boards are secured to first edges of the stringers defining a first plane. Thereafter, a plurality of deck boards are secured to second edges of the stringers defining a second, parallel plane.
In manufacturing pallets, a number of factors can be critical. While large-scale manufacturers may not be limited by space, smaller manufacturers seeking to compete in the market may not have unlimited space available. Depending upon the size of the pallet intended to be manufactured, space requirements can be fairly extensive.
Another, and probably more important, factor involved is the need to process the assembly of pallets as expeditiously as possible. It can often be the case that the ability to mass produce large numbers of pallets will either make or break a company.
Often, these two factors dovetail. That is, they are interrelated, one depending upon the other. For example, if unlimited space is available, a continuous assembly line might be able to be established, the assembly line having a multiplicity of stations at which various steps can be performed in the manufacturing of pallets. When virtually unlimited space is available, it might well be that pallets can be mass produced quickly and efficiently.
This might not be the case where only limited space is available, however. In close quarters, a manufacturer might be required to delay the manufacturing process in order to enable the completion of the various steps necessary to be performed in forming pallets.
It is to these considerations and problems of the prior art that the present invention is directed. It comprises both apparatus and a method for forming a pallet which improve over apparatus and methods known in the prior art.